Navigation

When it comes to ancient scholars, none are as well known as Confucius, one of the best known philosophers to come out of Asia. This was a man who inspired many to follow him throughout his life, and whose personal philosophies have influenced the formation of countless nations across the world. From family to one's duty to their nation, his knowledge was vast and seemingly without an end.

This is why so many people still follow and go to Confucian philosophies today, using them to improve their lives and the lives of those around them. This is a particularly popular set of ideals among more conservative nations and groups that stress strong family interactions. This is one of the reasons that his philosophies have been popular for so long. Their ability to keep families together and improve upon even modern relations is something legendary.

Many people also like his teachings for the simplicity they can bring to modern life. Confucius didn't base his teachings in the wisdom of his time, but in truths that cannot be changed. This makes them easy to adapt to any situation and so far they have never become obsolete. This makes them much more important than many other belief systems.

Thankfully almost all of his teachings were preserved and handed down throughout the ages, making them easily accessible. This was due to his own diligence and to the diligence of his followers. This makes him one of the old great minds that not only recorder their thought process, but also kept that information available for everyone else to see. Just imagine if the thinkers who had influenced him had been as smart.

For people seeking direction and guidance during difficult times, the wisdom of Confucius is more than silly sayings, it's a map to a world where anything is possible. The ability to look at the world around you without having your mind clouded with modern ideals, and instead to get timeless advice is something that most people would kill for.

At the end of the day, the timeless teachings of the great Confucius hold true today and will continue to hold true in the future. They don't represent specific information, but rather a path to wisdom that helps ensure a positive relationship with the world, with others around us, and with yourself. This relationship then helps balance out other parts of life, leading you on a better path.

If you have become sick and tired of being sick and tired, or if you have had struggles with depression, anger or anxiety, you may decide to turn to deeper spiritual truths as a means of living a more fulfilling life. You can choose to seek any spiritual path that speaks to you.

If you do not connect with the path you cannot expect to get much out of it. Some people go through conventional means for getting deeper truths. For instance, some people form a deep and lasting relationship with Jesus Christ. For other people, Jesus may only be thought of as an ascended master. Some people choose the way of Buddha for greater meaning in life and others find solace in regular yoga practices combined with meditation. Others read more books of spiritual principles and daily astrology guides.

If a certain practice does not offer you that inner spark, you will need to continue seeking the path that does. You need to be comfortable in your pursuit of spiritual truths. Give yourself time to begin seeking out that practice. You might need to experiment with several before you find the one that allows you to gain deeper clarity and meaning in life.

Bring your full self into your search for spiritual truths. This means that you need to be as self-aware as you possibly can be. That can be painful for not everyone likes to admit that they have weaknesses or faults but everyone does. And, it is through weakness that our greater selves can be cultivated. Be willing to be as honest as possible with yourself as you embark on your spiritual seeking.

God or all-that-is is found in all aspects of ourselves and lives especially the parts that are broken or in pain. There is a crack in everything a certain song goes - thats how the light gets in. To humble yourself in the midst of your difficulties is often the greatest way to show your strength.

Patience is always a virtue when it comes to doing your soul searching. Be patient with yourself. You are enough right now. You will likely make mistakes as you try to become a more spiritually minded person but try not to be too harsh on yourself. Be happy that you are truly attempting living your life on a deeper level.

Learn all you can. Read more about the paths that speak to you and you will be able to live a richer and more meaningful spiritually guided life.

Do you have negative beliefs that are holding you back? If you find it difficult to achieve what you desire in certain areas of your life, it may be that your subconscious mind is causing you to act in a way that is not aligned to your goals. This can include your financial success or attracting your ideal partner. If you do not really believe that your dreams are possible, you will not take the actions necessary and you can actually self-sabotage your efforts. Creative visualization is a technique that can transform your beliefs. Lets take a look here at some of the main reasons why it is so effective.

Creative visualization involves holding a mental picture of your desires in your mind, so that you actually begin to believe that they are real. This acts as a trigger for your subconscious mind, so that you start to act in ways that are supportive of your dreams. It may be that you begin to attract new opportunities or that the right people appear in your life at the right time. This may seem like luck or coincidence when in actual fact it is because you are seeing your life in a different way based on a new set of beliefs.

It is important not to get discouraged if it doesnt happen immediately. In fact there is a time and season for everything. Astrology will give you the timing. You can go to an astrologer to find out more about the planetary cycles that indicate when you will get the new job, or meet the love of your life.

If you perform visualization on a consistent basis, you will start to change your thoughts and emotions. This is because visualizing effectively means attaching feelings to your desires so that you are actually living your dreams in your imagination. This image will develop into reality in your subconscious mind so that you find it easier to take the actions to improve any area of your life. For instance, if you want to attract your ideal partner, you will have more confidence in approaching someone you find attractive.

Creative visualization also helps you to focus on what you want rather than what you do not want. If you are always thinking of what could go wrong and why something may fail, this creates a negative energy that is resistant to your desires. Visualization techniques are always based on imagining successful outcomes and the emotional states that this creates. Therefore, instead of feeling anxiety you will feel confidence and fear will be replaced by courage.

It is your thoughts and emotions that lead to your actions and by using creative visualization, you can make sure that these are all aligned to help you achieve your desires.

Everyone's spiritual habits are a personal and private walk. By designing your own personal habits you're creating your own life and means of spirituality. In your quest to have your spiritual practice practical analyze what is possible in your personal daily routine so you can keep it simple, easy and practical.

Meditation

One of the most important habits that many of us develop is learning how to meditate. Meditation can do a great deal to help us lead a more peaceful existence and life.

Spending some time meditating will do much to reduce stress and anxiety in life. It can provide comfort and relaxation as well as a form of outlet to decompress after a particularly busy day.

Understanding one's own mind is a huge step forward in spirituality. There are days where we all seemingly move along like robots never questioning anything, however, if we take the time to meditate we form our own opinion and become far more aware of what is going on around us. This one habit can go far in creating the life that we dream of leading.

Real astrology can help you stay on track with noticing the transits in your chart and when the planets move through the houses that are easier for deeper meditation. Paying attention to the new and full moon also adds significance in being able to go deeper in your meditations and spiritual practice. Even if you only have time for five minutes of meditation each afternoon, take that five minutes and meditate. The benefits will do wonders for your outlook on life and your spirituality.

Take Time For Yourself

In addition to meditation, setting aside some time on a daily basis for yourself is another key aspect of spirituality. Too often we get caught up in a web of doing everything for others and doing nothing for ourselves.

This can be a dangerous way to live and will lead to burn out if left unchecked for too long of a period of time. Even if you just start with a small half hour block of time for yourself, this half hour of self-discovery will go far in helping you to relax and stay in tune with yourself.

This time can be spent listening to music that makes you happy, in a bath, on a walk or whatever you choose to do for your personal time.

Just make sure that whatever you do, you're relaxing and spending time taking care of you because if you're busy taking care of everyone else, you often forget to take care of yourself and that can lead to disaster.

Following these simple habits can help you to become more spiritual and relaxed. These tips are practical and easy to follow and you won't become overburdened with too many rules and guidelines if you start small like this.

No matter which country Muslims live, and regardless how high or low a countrys taxes are, paying Zakat cannot be replaced. It isnt a tax, it is worship. It isnt optional, it is an obligation. It is an ever-going and unbreakable Pillar of Islam. It cannot be replaced by any other taxes there are. Its payment cannot be stopped by whatever circumstance a Muslim is in. Allah Himself made giving Zakat to the poor a sign of loyalty to Him alone. Unpaid taxes may be forgiven by governments in various countries, but neglecting the duty of paying Zakat cannot be absolved. All Muslims must understand that Zakat is not their own. It belongs to other people. To know how much Zakat one owes to the needy, itll be much easier to use a Zakat calculator.

According to Ibn Hazm, an 11th century Muslim scholar and polymath from Spains Andalusian region, if a Muslim fails to pay ones due Zakat, its possible that ones wealth may be fully consumed just to pay off all those years of neglecting to pay ones duty. In other words, there is no way that a Muslim can escape ones duty. Other scholars meanwhile, believe that Muslims who dont pay their Zakat are not allowed to do business with other Muslims. Their right to conduct business, in whatever transaction, is forfeited. This includes ongoing contracts which shall be deemed invalid once its known that one of the parties in the transaction did not pay their annual Zakat.

Not intending to scare Muslim brothers and sisters, everyone is reminded that computing and paying due Zakat, using a Zakat calculator, is a solemn obligation. Muslims strongly believe that it is a chance to double ones blessings. More importantly, it is a chance to help other people. In Islam, a man or woman should never be content with the blessings that Allah has bestowed upon them until they have paid their Zakat to the unfortunate, the lawful trustees in Allahs sight.

Allahs Lawful Trustees

The lawful trustees who receive Zakat payments are categorized into eight groups assigned by the Quran. Those who are eligible to receive it are (1) the al-masâkîn, or those who are in need or having problems and difficulties in life; (2) the al-fuqarâ, or those who have little or no wealth at all; (3) the wayfarer, or those who are travelling and are stranded, or cannot go further in their journey because of diminishing resources; (4) the captives and slaves, or those in bondage; (5) the new Muslim converts, or those who needs reconciliation with Allah and Islam in general; (6) the debt-ridden; (7) the defenders of Islam, or those who are in the cause of God; and (8) the Zakat administrators.

The Quran also indicates how to distribute Zakat precisely. A Zakat calculator will be most helpful in this situation. Muslims need to calculate their Zakat based on five categories which are (1-2) personal and business wealth, (3) agricultural produce, (4) livestock, and (5) treasure. It excludes properties for commercial, family, or personal use. It also does not include properties in public trust such as mosques, orphanages, hospitals, and schools. Most importantly, illegally-acquired or unlawful wealth is not allowed as Zakat payments.